NEW DELHI: Kashmir was at the centre of police gallantry medals announced on the eve of the 75th Independence Day. The highest award in this category — President’s Police Medal for Gallantry — was awarded to one each from Jammu & Kashmir Police and one from CRPF, for bravery displayed during counter-insurgency operations. The most number of medals (257) were won again by the police department of Jammu and Kashmir. They were followed by CRPF, the only paramilitary force engaged in counter insurgency operations in Kashmir, which bagged 151 medals.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced 1,380 medals for police personnel for 2021, including 630 for gallantry and 750 for distinguished and meritorious services. Among the 630 gallantry medals, 398 were awarded for action in Jammu and Kashmir, 155 for Naxal operations and 27 for counter-insurgency in Northeast.
One of the who won the President’s Police Medal is J&K Police sub-inspector Amardeep Parihar, for courage displayed during an encounter in Baramulla on August 20, 2019. The citation for the award says Parihar showed “indomitable courage and evacuated injured and other civilians outside the target house ensuring no further collateral damage”.
The other awardee of this medal is CRPF head constable, the late Sunil Dattatraya Kale for his valiant action in Jammu and Kashmir, in which two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in June 2020.
Dattatraya won the award for bravery shown in fighting terrorists on June 23, 2020, when his team with squads of J&K Police and Rashtriya Rifles went for a joint cordon and search operation at Bandzoo village in Pulwama. According to a statement, when the team was nearing the spot, one terrorist opened fire. Kale was leading the team and he charged towards the terrorist and neutralised him. He then confronted another terrorist before being shot.